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Breaking Barriers

Breaking Barriers
Words of Faith 9-28-16
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy © 2016
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
Faith Fellowship Church - Melbourne, FL
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John 4
The Pharisees heard that Jesus was gaining and baptizing more disciples than John, [2] although in fact it was not Jesus who baptized, but his disciples. [3] When the Lord learned of this, he left Judea and went back once more to Galilee.
[4] Now he had to go through Samaria. [5] So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph. [6] Jacob's well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about the sixth hour.
[7] When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, "Will you give me a drink?" [8] (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.)
[9] The Samaritan woman said to him, "You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?" (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.)
[10] Jesus answered her, "If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water."
[11] "Sir," the woman said, "you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? [12] Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his flocks and herds?"
[13] Jesus answered, "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, [14] but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life."

Jesus had raised the attention of the Pharisees. He would confront the Pharisees in Judea at a later time, but for now, Jesus made his way back to the northern area of Galilee by going through the region called Samaria.
The hatred and animosity between Jews and Samaritans went back centuries. The divide was as strong as any racial or ethnic conflict we could imagine yet the two groups were ancient cousins. The Samaritans were all that remained of the “lost tribes” that were forcibly relocated and intermarried with pagans by the Assyrians. The Samaritans had later built a rival Temple on Mount Gerizim. There was a powerful racial, ethnic, social, and religious prejudice between Jews and Samaritans.
Most Jews would not even travel down the road Jesus was on. But Jesus crossed this barrier. Jewish men also would not speak with a woman in public. Jesus crossed this barrier. The fact that this woman was alone at the well likely indicated that she was shunned in her village because of her immorality. Jesus crossed this barrier as well.
The Samaritan woman was likely shocked that Jesus would ask for water. There was probably yet another barrier of bitterness that is often erected by a person who has been rejected. Jesus reached across even this barrier.
This conversation is one of the most lovely and powerful in all of the Bible. With every smoke screen and defensive response offered by the Samaritan woman Jesus simply kept loving, offering, and reaching across the barriers. At the bottom line Jesus offered this broken person the opportunity to be whole. He offered her the Living Water of His Spirit, which would quench the deep thirsting of her soul. It is the same offer He makes to us today.
Have you received the offer of Jesus? He desires to break down the barriers and defenses that kept you from wholeness. He reaches across every division, prejudice and hurt in our lives to simply offer us the water of His Spirit. This Spirit is the very thing that we crave after in all our wanderings and sin.
Perhaps you have long ago received the cup of His Spirit. Have you offered Jesus lately to another? The example of Jesus is that we should reach across the barriers and animosity of our society. We are called to break down the divisions of our culture and history. We are to look past the prejudices of our day and introduce the Samaritans of our day and life to Jesus.

Lord, I desire to drink deeply from the water would well up to eternal life. Quench the deep thirsting of my soul. Lord, I am ready and obedient. Show me the barrier you desire me to cross that I may introduce You to others. In Jesus’ name.

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© Jeffrey D. Hoy 2002, 2016
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy - Faith Fellowship Church (EFCA)
2820 Business Center Blvd.
Melbourne, Florida 32940 (321)-259-7200
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
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The Words of Faith devotion is published five days a week by E-mail excluding Federal holidays. Please feel free to forward this devotion to a friend who might be blessed by this devotion. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is quoted from the New International Version (R) of The Holy Bible. Copyright (c) 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. Words of Faith (c) 1997, 2010 Jeffrey D. Hoy. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to forward this copyrighted material or use portions of it with appropriate notation of the source for non-profit purposes.